In recent years, as many as sixty percent of new homes have been built with at least one fireplace. Many new buildings incorporate one or more fireplaces as well. The advent of “direct vent” fireplaces has allowed for relatively inexpensive installation of new fireplaces in new and existing homes and structures. Traditional masonry work, on the other hand, has become prohibitively expensive and time consuming for many.
Fireplace enclosures which surround fireplaces are typically built by contractors on site with the same materials which form the exterior of the home or building, e.g. wood, composites and siding. Therefore, in addition to building a wood or composite frame, insulation, refractory lining and/or masonry work may be required before a fireplace may be installed in a fireplace enclosure. Such additional work must be performed at the construction site, with associated labor costs, and often takes days to complete.
It is estimated that more than seventy-five percent of all fireplaces installed today are factory-built and shipped to the construction site. Most fireplaces shipped are direct vent fireplaces which vent directly outside, so there is no need for a traditional chimney or masonry. In addition, they may be installed inexpensively, without the use of skilled craftsmen. “Rear vent, direct vent” fireplaces vent from the rear of the fireplace, collecting combustible air from outside and pumping the by-products of burning gases outside. “Top vent, direct vent” fireplaces vent from the top of the fireplace using the same principles. Approximately eighty percent of new direct vent fireplaces are rear vent, while twenty percent are top vent. A “B-vent” system is a top vented system that uses room air for combustion. Some direct vent systems operate more efficiently when the vent termination is above the roof line of the associated home or building.
Fireplace enclosures which project outward from an associated living or office space, for example, require some method of support. This is typically accomplished by unattractive bracing or reinforcement, expensive masonry or concrete work, or the extension of a support member into the associated living or office space, (e.g., a support member extending four feet inside to support a two-foot deep enclosure). In addition, existing fireplace enclosures often require rerouting of mechanical, electrical and/or plumbing features.
Prior art discloses prefabricated framed fireplaces (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,822 (Lyons, et al.)) which provide a fireplace box with an attached surrounding framework of building materials which becomes a permanent part of the wall or structure to which it is attached. The prior art, however, does not provide a fireplace enclosure adapted for compact packaging or shipping in knock-down condition. Nor does it disclose a modular fireplace enclosure which is adjustable and flexible in terms of height. For example, some top vent, direct vent systems, either for cosmetic purposes or for efficiency, require a fireplace enclosure or flue which extends upward along a substantial portion of the exterior wall of the house or building in which the fireplace is installed. The present invention solves this problem by providing stackable, essentially modular side and rear panels, whereas the prior art discloses a one-piece construction of parts integrally molded together.
In addition, the prior art requires a rough opening of substantially the same size as the fireplace box, whereas the present invention, because it is secured to the exterior wall of the structure, from the outside, has no such limitation. In addition, the prior art, because it includes brackets and/or flanges which connect to the interior of the associated structure, must be installed, at least in part, from the interior of the structure. The prior art limits access from the exterior, resulting in difficulty or inconvenience in installing associated gas and/or electric lines. Among other things, the present invention diminishes or eliminates such inconvenience and diminishes or eliminates the need to reroute such items as electrical and plumbing lines and mechanical members.
There exists a need for a simple, self-supported fireplace enclosure which is prefabricated and capable of being shipped in knock-down or disassembled condition by standard methods such as UPS, FedEx and U.S. Mail; which may be assembled quickly and efficiently at the construction site without the need for skilled contractors or additional materials such as insulation, Sheetrock or bracing members; which may be assembled from the exterior of the associated structure; which may be used in conjunction with a wide variety of fireplaces available to the public; which provides for variable height by stacking to accommodate various styles of fireplaces and configurations; and/or which allows efficient access from the exterior of the associated home or building to electric and gas lines.